Mr. Speaker, today we celebrate the 50th anniversary of Canada's unbroken diplomatic relationship with Cuba.
Canada and Cuba maintain a friendly and diverse relationship which includes political diplomacy, trade and commerce, scientific and economic co-operation, and tourism. In the area of fisheries, Cuba has supported our view on the need for measures to end high seas overfishing.
Cuba is a nation that is now in transition to a market economy, a nation with which we have significant trade, an area that we can and should expand upon. To enable Canadian businesses to compete for new economic opportunities in Cuba, I urge the Minister for International Trade to reinstate the $30 million line of credit to Cuba so that Canadian companies can take advantage of it to increase Canada-Cuban trade.